ALCS Game 5: Astros Look to Close Yankees

Astros Look to Get the Nationals in the Fall Classic

The fans at Yankee Stadium will see the Houston Astros and the New York Yankees battle in ALCS Game 5 on Friday. The Astros attempt to reach the World Series for the second time in three seasons. After losing the opener, Houston has strung together three straight wins, including Thursday’s dominant 8-3 victory, for a commanding 3-1 series lead.

George Springer and Carlos Correa each belted a three-run homer in the Game 4 victory. Not one on the Astros is ready to proclaim a series victory over the Yankees. “We just have to go play our game,” Springer, who holds the franchise record of 13 career postseason blasts, said during a postgame television interview. “We’re going to hand the ball to JV (Justin Verlander) and we’ll see what happens.” Astros 2B Jose Altuve (12) and Correa (10) also are in double digits when it comes to postseason homers.

New York recorded nearly as many errors (four) as hits (five) in the loss. The offense went 0-for-7 with runners in scoring position in a sloppy performance. “We played poorly, there is no other way to explain it,” Yankees manager Aaron Boone said in his postgame press conference. “We need to flush this immediately. We talked about this as a team, we need to get over this in a hurry and put our best foot forward (in Game 5). Stranger things have certainly happened, a lot stranger. We need to play a cleaner game if we are going to beat a team like that.”

This, That, and a Dart Throw

Verlander settled for a no-decision in Game 2. He allowed two runs and five hits over 6-2/3 innings. The 36-year-old went 1-0 with a 4.15 ERA in two regular-season starts against the Yankees. He indicated he has a lot of respect for the team’s lineup. “I think 1 through 9 can hurt you with a homer. If you make mistakes, they punish you,” Verlander said in his press conference. “It’s just kind of one of those lineups that you have to go out there and understand that it’s going to be a grind. You’re going to find yourself in moments where you need to make pitches.”

Paxton was pulled after just 2-1/3 innings when matched against Verlander in Game 2. This was done despite allowing just one run and four hits. Boone could possibly be over-managing the squad. The hurler went 1-1 with a 6.00 ERA in two regular-season outings against Houston. He is pitching in the postseason for the first time in his career. “There’s a higher intensity, but overall, it’s the same game,” Paxton said during his press conference. “You have to treat it the same way. It’s just being able to mentally treat it the same way, even though there is that extra intensity,”